Strength and conditioning trainer Travis Touma was named in the Topine case, which remains before the courts, but remained at the club to complete his duties this season. He enjoyed a successful career at the Sydney Roosters before arriving at Belmore via a short stint at South Sydney.
Judging by the RLPA poll, Touma – along with sprint coach Rubin Ruzicka, strength coach Chad McGill and sport scientist Matt Chandler – retains the respect of the Bulldogs players.
Without making reference to the Topine case, Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton welcomed the poll results.
Bulldogs skipper Stephen Crichton during a training session in September.Credit: James Brickwood
“This recognition from the RLPA validates our commitment to providing the very best high-performance environment for our players,” Warburton said. “We’ve invested heavily in assembling an elite coaching and support staff, and it’s gratifying to see this acknowledged by players across the game.”
South Sydney were ranked the best club overall, and came out on top in the areas of “services and support”, and “facilities”. They also received a “B” for their head coach – which, given polling was conducted between July and September, applied to caretaker coach Ben Hornby, not Jason Demetriou, who was sacked on April 30.
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The RLPA results will allow clubs to address any matters that were reflected in the anonymous player responses. Topine has not played since his messy exit from the Bulldogs.
In a statement of claim, Topine described a training session on July 18, 2023 as a “deprivation of liberty” and “unlawful corporal punishment”. It is claimed the now 23-year-old suffered “psychiatric injury” and “physical and mental impairment” as a result.
According to the claim, Topine “suffered psychiatric injury, deprivation of liberty, humiliation, indignity, physical exhaustion, physical discomfort, anxiety, embarrassment, and fear”.